Snapshots - From the series
by werks
Summary: S1-05: A grouping of one-, two- or three-chapter shots based off of the stories in my Jamko series containing "He lets me call him Frank now," "Follow Your Heart," "Home Sweet Home," and the sequel "Resurrection"... contains missing or extra scenes that just didn't fit in the original flow. PM or leave suggestions in the comments with any further requests.
1. Prequel - Be My Valentine

_A grouping of one-, two- or three-shots based off of the stories in my Jamko series containing "He lets me call him Frank now," "Follow Your Heart," "Home Sweet Home," and the upcoming sequel "Resurrection"... contains missing or extra scenes that just didn't fit in the original flow. PM or leave suggestions in the comments with any further requests._

 _I'm going to try to keep it in some kind of chronological order so I decided to start at the very beginning and work my way forward. I'll only be updating this collection periodically when I'm stuck or I need to take a fun break from the longer pieces._

 _Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing. CBS owns Blue Bloods; I just take the characters out for a spin for fun._

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Prequel - Be My Valentine

 _From "Home Sweet Home" Chapter 11 and "Resurrection" Chapter 1._

Mary Margaret Reagan was the epitome of a classic, modern Irish Catholic housewife and mother charged with running a busy family from within a stately brick home located in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of New York City's borough of Brooklyn. A lifelong New Yorker, her family had settled in the area since before her grandfather had been hired to help build the Brooklyn Bridge in the 1870s and '80s. She had married the love of her life, Francis "Frank" Reagan, in the early 1970's after a whirlwind romance, and the couple led a comfortable life with their three children; Daniel, Erin, and Joseph; ages 8, 6 and 5 respectively. The son of the current New York City Police Commissioner, Henry Reagan, Frank was an up-and-coming detective in the NYPD Major Case squad, and clearly destined for higher things. The Reagans were rather recent implants in the neighborhood, having moved into their house just one year earlier, however, Frank had grown up in his family home just a few blocks away.

From all outward appearances, Mary was leading quite the charmed life with a full schedule of volunteer work in addition to her duties as a wife and mother. Daniel "Danny" Reagan, her firstborn son, had always been quite a handful and he kept both of his parents on their toes especially now that he was finding himself halfway through the third grade. Frequent calls and notes from Sister Agnes reinforced the notion that he would never be an easy child. In contrast, their daughter, Erin, had blossomed in first grade and baby Joseph "Joey" was an easy, peaceful child who only wanted to please and got along well with everyone in his kindergarten class.

With all three children now in school, Mary Margaret, a devout Catholic, spent many of her quiet mornings attending services in the small church down the street. This particular mid-February day found her kneeling in front of the prayer candles after mass, having lit two votives to remember a pair of missing souls close to her heart. "Happy St. Valentine's Day my babies, all my love," she whispered. Only a select few carefully chosen people would understand the significance of her words, as there were two very private chapters of grief written in her life's book, and one that remained achingly blank.

Mary hurried back to the house after she was done. It was a cold, damp day and there was much to do before the children came home from school and were packed off to their grandparents' for a sleepover until the next morning. To top it off their car was in the shop to be repaired so she needed to walk them up there. Frank had surprised her with tickets to a Broadway play, and they were planning on using a car service to take them out for a romantic dinner and date night together. Always the practical one, she had uncharacteristically splurged and planned to dazzle her husband in a new lovely red sleeveless knee-length dress with a sweetheart neckline. The nature of his work meant that evenings like this were far and few between, and she had been looking forward to this for weeks.

Joey was the first one home, as the kindergarteners only served a half-day of school. Mary met his bus at the gate with a smile as he excitedly waved a handmade red heart towards her.

"Momma! I made you a Valentine!" he exclaimed as he jumped off the steps and ran to her. "All by my very self!"

"Thank you, Joey, my baby! I will cherish this forever," she said as she accepted the gift. "And I have a few cookies with pretty red sprinkles all ready for your snack."

"Thank you, Momma!" he enthused as they walked back to the house.

The rest of the afternoon passed by swiftly as Mary packed a few things up for the children and pampered herself with a long bath, and then did her nails in a daring red polish to match her dress while Joey took a nap. She wanted to thoroughly enjoy this day. It wasn't long before Danny and Erin could be seen arguing back and forth with each other about who made the nicest card in art class as they made their way home from the bus stop while their mother kept a watchful eye on them from the front porch. Being married to a detective that worked the type of cases he did regularly, made her hyper vigilant when it came to keeping guard over her own offspring. They were not often out of her sight.

Mary made sure the children were all settled with a light snack before she gathered their things and bundled them back up, each outfitted with an umbrella against the drizzling sky for the short walk over to their grandparent's home. Grandma Betty was waiting for them with a dinner already prepared of Irish stew and sandwiches. Mary thanked her mother-in-law for offering to keep the kids overnight, and then practically skipped along back home among the puddles as she rushed to do her hair and slip into that beautiful red dress. She knew what her husband's reaction would be to the sight of her all dolled up, and she smiled in anticipation of an enjoyable evening.

Frank arrived home early, having been brought back from the station by his partner, and he was clutching a bouquet of roses and a bottle wrapped in a plain brown paper bag. His heart stopped at the sight of his gorgeous wife, the love of his life since grade school. She was simply stunning, and that dress... well it made him think of some less than gentlemanly things that he had planned for later that evening. She laughed when she turned and saw the items he was carrying. "Really, Frank," she teased. "Flowers and whiskey? That's your plan for the evening?"

"Mary Margaret," he breathed as he set the items down at the counter without another thought and grabbed her around the waist, catching her eyes and then planting soft kisses down her neck. "You knew exactly what you were asking for when you bought that dress, now didn't you?"

"Yes, of course, my love," she smiled, "but you'll need to wait to unwrap that particular gift until later. We need to leave soon to make the play on time."

"Of course, the play," he muttered. Right now he would rather skip everything else and just go straight to the unveiling, to hell with the play and dinner.

"Frank, go," she ordered as she pushed him. "Shower and shave. The kids are at Pop's. We have all night."

Her husband reluctantly complied with the request and was nearly done with his razor when the phone rang. "Oh, no, no," he thought. "Not tonight. I don't care if the whole damn city is burning down around us! I am not going out on a call."

"Frank," his wife's disappointed voice floated up the stairs as he braced himself. "The car service said their driver had an emergency. There's no one to send for us." She sat down on the bottom step and tried not to tear up and ruin her makeup. There went their wonderful romantic evening out.

"Sweetheart, don't cry," Frank said as he stood at the top of the steps and toweled off his face. "We'll just take the Chevelle."

Ugh. At the mention of that car Mary's heart sank. It was Frank's garage-kept pride and joy, but she just plainly despised every horrid square, blue inch of it. Keeping it was one of the few concessions she had been forced to make in her marriage, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She shot a disappointed eye up towards her husband. "I'd rather walk and take the subway," she griped.

"In the rain, Mary Margaret. Twenty blocks. Please, you can't hate it that much. It will be fun, like we're teenagers again."

Teenagers, right... but she was damn sure that backseat wouldn't see any part of her tonight.

She was still sullen and feeling a bit silly as Frank escorted her out in the driveway, struggling a little to hold the umbrella against the strong wind and rain that had picked up. "There," he said as he settled into the driver's seat, "we're all set. Now let's go out and enjoy ourselves a bit, before we come home and enjoy ourselves a bit." He smiled. She frowned.

He started the car and turned the wipers on high as he made a left out of their driveway. They had only driven about five blocks before the engine made a stuttering sound and the lights on the dash dimmed and went dark. "Uh oh," Frank said, as he struggled to pull the vehicle off the road with no power. He was not entirely successful and quickly put the four-ways on to warn traffic. "Mary Margaret..." he started.

"Don't say it, Frank. Just don't even utter one single solitary word," she said as she turned away from him. "I hate this car," she seethed.

"I know sweetheart," he offered anyway, as he watched the prospect of any extracurricular activities vanish before his eyes. "I need help getting it off the road though. We can't leave it here like this. Can you slide over and steer while I push, dear... please?"

"Only if I can put it in a ditch," she muttered as she shimmied herself over to the driver's side while he got out, deliberately taking time to straighten out her dress on the seat as he was being soaked in the rain.

"Just try to put it over there," he gestured to an opening. "I'll do all the work." She thought about applying the parking brake and making him struggle, but decided that would just prolong this whole wretched experience. She wanted to go home. Now.

As soon as the car was safely parked at the curb, Mary got out, clutching her umbrella, which was promptly turned inside out in the wind. "I'm walking to Pop's house," she said as she slammed the door shut just as a truck drove by in the street, hitting a nearby pothole and sending a cascade of dirty, oily water directly onto her precious red dress. She threw the useless umbrella down at her husband's feet and sobbed. "Now I'm just walking home! Goodbye, Frank."

He quickly locked up the car and hurried after her as she walked down the sidewalk, unprotected in the freezing rain, while pulling off his overcoat and running up to her to wrap her up. "Please, Mary Margaret..." he started as he tried to comfort his distraught wife.

"One nice night out," she cried as she marched along. "That's all I wanted. We never get to spent time with each other anymore without the kids... without the job always getting in the way. I'm so lonely all day when everyone is away, and soon my baby Joey will be gone a full day as well. I just wanted one night, Frank." She stumbled in the dark as her heel caught in a crack and broke. "Oh, no!" she wailed. "That was my favorite pair!" Undeterred, she pulled off both shoes and dumped them in a neighbor's garbage can sitting out by the curb, giving it a good kick for emphasis, before limping along for a few steps.

"Mary, honey, please I will make this up to you, I swear," Frank pleaded as he half-jogged along beside her. Without the heels she had quickened her step. They were nearing their own dark house. "I'll get more tickets for another show and we'll arrange everything else again for another night. You just go back to the same store and buy another dress and shoes. Please, baby," he begged as she walked up the steps and unlocked the front door, throwing her purse down on the chair. She quickly made her way back into the kitchen, flipping on some lights as she eyed the forgotten bottle sitting on the counter. Her teeth were chattering.

"Honey, you're dripping and freezing. Let's get you out of this dress and I'll start a warm fire," Frank appealed. "You'll catch cold."

"Like hell I will," Mary replied sharply.

Frank was stunned at his normally serene wife's response, and he closed his eyes and admitted defeat. This evening was a complete and utter abhorrent failure. Time to regroup. "I'll just go get that fire started anyway," he said.

As her husband left the kitchen, Mary's eyes welled back up and she sat down with a huff at the table. The beautiful roses he had brought her were sitting in a glass vase, a reminder of the love they were supposed to share on this Valentine's Day. None of this had been Frank's fault, not really. Just a set of unfortunate circumstances that had brought the sad and lonely feelings she had been experiencing lately to a head. There was something missing in her life. One more thing she wanted desperately that was seemingly not meant to be. She looked at the six chairs around the kitchen table. One of them was always empty, and it was a constant reminder to her that in her heart, her family was not complete. After Joseph had been born, she and Frank had tried for one more child, another spirit to fill that empty chair. Sadly they had suffered through not one, but two miscarriages soon after and the doctors told them that she would never carry another baby to term. They were done. Finished. The family had soon after moved to this beautiful house when it came on the market and Frank was promoted to Major Crimes. It was complete with four bedrooms now filled with Reagans. There would be no more, and now Danny and Erin and her baby Joey were growing up so fast. The window had closed on a joyous time in her life, and it had been hard for her to accept that.

Mary shook with another shiver and stood up, making her way over to the cabinet to reach for a heavy glass tumbler as she picked up the nondescript bottle and pulled it from the paper bag. A bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey greeted her inspection. "Well, that will do," she muttered as she poured herself a generous two fingers. Frank walked back into the kitchen, having started a fire in the den to take the chill off. "Where'd you get this?" she asked, knowing it was not his preferred brand.

"The fire chief from Queens, Mike Palmer, gave it to me for our help in tracking down that arsonist last month," he explained. "I forgot to bring it home until tonight."

"Good stuff," she affirmed after taking a long sip.

"Mary, please honey, let's go in by the fire and warm up," Frank tried again. "We'll just relax and have a few drinks and talk. The kids are gone for the night. I'm sorry this evening turned out the way it did, but let's not waste this time. I don't want you to feel like you're lonely." That comment had really bothered him. He knew the demands his job put on everyone in the family, but it broke his heart to think that his wife was unhappy.

Mary finally conceded, and allowed herself to be led towards the fireplace where Frank had a big blanket laying out on the floor. He had grabbed the bottle of Jameson and picked up another glass at the liquor cabinet. The amber brew had a smooth flavor and went down easily. In no time they were both a bit tipsy and making out like… well like teenagers again. As the evening progressed there was very little left in the way between them as they came together there in front of the fire, their passion for one another rekindled. It may not have involved Broadway or a five-star restaurant, but this Valentine's Day night was certainly memorable.

Mary smiled as she hurried to clean up the next morning before the children came back home. There was only a tiny bit of the whiskey left in the bottle, but she put the cap on and tucked it into the liquor cabinet anyway. "That was some damn fine stuff," she muttered.

Little did she know what kind of impact it would have on all of their lives.

* * *

 _I always wanted to write a little bit about Frank and Mary. Next up they find out she is pregnant with Jam_ _i_ _son, and deal with the issues that presents._


	2. Prequel - The Ides of March

Prequel - The Ides of March

 _From "Home Sweet Home" Chapter 11 and "Resurrection" Chapter 1._

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"Daddy! Danny ate all of my favorite cereal again!" Erin whined as she sat down at the table before school one morning. Joey was quietly finishing his toast, and his oldest son had a devilish smirk on his face as he slowly poured milk into his overflowing bowl to taunt his sister.

"Tattletale!"

"Thief!"

"ENOUGH!" Frank roared until the dishes in the china cabinet rattled, and then he immediately regretted his action as three pairs of frightened, wide eyes fell upon him. He could almost feel the wave of disappointment seeping down the stairs from the bedroom where his wife lay ill with some kind of stomach flu. She had been tired and sick for the last several days. The morning school routine was something that Mary usually ran with an easy and tempered authority, but Frank was charged with it today, and he was ashamed to admit that he had let his frustrations with a new case at work boil over into his family life. A predator was targeting young children on the East Side, and assignments like that were the stuff of nightmares for him. Always the family peacekeeper, Joey's big blue eyes blinked back tears, and his lip quivered as he gazed up at his father. Frank immediately picked up his youngest boy and held him tight.

"I'm so sorry, Joey," he said softly. "Don't cry, son. I was wrong to yell like that. Come here you two," he motioned to Danny and Erin and they got up from their chairs and rushed over to hug either side of their father's waist. "There, now. Let's start this morning over, shall we? We all need to be on our best behavior to help Mommy feel better. Okay? That includes me too." He gently set Joey back down in the chair in front of his plate. "Daniel, let's practice our kindness skills from now on, alright? You can't grow up and be a good cop without them."

"Yes, sir," Danny said, ashamed at what he started. "Dad, is Mommy going to be okay? Why is she sick?" he asked worriedly.

"Mommy just has a little cold in her tummy," Frank explained. "Like you did a few weeks ago when you had to stay home from school. She'll be fine in a couple of days, just as you were."

"I don't like it when Mommy is sick," Erin chimed in sadly.

"Me either," Joey added.

Frank smiled at the love and concern his children had for Mary. "None of us do. Now finish your breakfast, and go and brush your teeth. I'm going to take some toast up to Mommy, and then I'll drive you all to school. No bus this morning!" he added to their delight.

He put the bread on a small plate and grabbed the mug of tea he'd prepared. He found his wife still in bed, propped up on some pillows. She gave him a disapproving look as he walked in.

"Frank..."

"I know. I know, dear. I'm sorry." he apologized. "It's just that case we're working... those kids. I can't stop thinking about it, and I didn't get much sleep last night. Now how are you feeling?"

"Not bad today, just... off," she said. "I've just been so tired the past few days."

"Well there is nothing for you to do today. Stay in bed and rest. I'll pick up dinner on my way home tonight. Okay? Promise me you'll take care of yourself or you won't be well in time for the Saint Patrick's Day parade on Saturday."

Mary smiled. That parade was always a fun family event although she was very careful to pick a good area for the children to watch from... one that kept them away from the rowdy, drunken crowd that never failed to make an appearance near the end. "I promise, Frank. I wouldn't want to disappoint the children."

"Good," he said as he sat down aside her and reached in for a kiss. "I love you Mary Margaret, now don't you forget that."

True to her word, Mary spent the remainder of the morning resting. She slipped into a warm sweater and donned a coat just before noon to walk out and meet Joey's bus at the gate. He was gleefully chattering on about shamrocks and leprechauns and piles of gold at the end of rainbows. She made his lunch and then gratefully sank down on the comfortable couch in the living room after he was finished eating. Her eyes were heavy, but she'd had enough of being in bed.

"Momma, are you still tired?" Joey asked as he pulled out his blocks and started to build with them.

"Just a little, baby," she admitted. "What are you making?"

"A police station!" he answered enthusiastically. "I'm gonna be a policeman just like Daddy and Grandpa Henry! Danny said he's gonna be one first because he's older, but I'm going to be better than him and catch lots more bad guys."

"You do that, baby," she smiled as she rested her head on the pillow, "there are lots and lots of bad guys..." With that she drifted off.

Mary was startled out of a deep sleep by the frenetic ringing of the doorbell and pounding on the front door. She leaped to her feet; throwing off the blanket that Joey had covered her with. He had curled up and was napping next to her on the couch. "Momma! Let us in! Let us in!" She could hear Erin frantically crying from the front porch. She rushed over and opened the door to find her daughter and Danny pressed up against it with tears in their eyes. She had slept through their bus stop time.

"Babies, what's the matter?" she cried as she kneeled down and hugged them both tight. They were both trembling. "It's okay, now. Shhhh."

"I saw Daddy on the TV yesterday when I was at Lilly's house, and he was talking about the bad man with the white van hurting kids. There was a white van in Mrs. Wolf's driveway and we had to walk past it to get home. I was so scared, Momma! Danny held my hand and you weren't on the porch!" Erin cried.

"Oh, no baby, I'm so sorry!" Mary was so ashamed she had let her children down. As much as they tried to keep the details of Frank's work away from them, it was impossible at times. "I'm so sorry, baby," she repeated. "Danny, you were such a good brave boy to protect your sister that way. I'm so proud of you," she said as she hugged them tight again.

"Why weren't you there, Mommy?" he asked with his lip quivering. He didn't feel very brave. In truth he had been just as scared as his sister.

"I... was tired, and I guess I fell asleep on the couch, Danny," she admitted.

"I don't like it when you're sick!" he yelled and turned to run up the steps to his bedroom. She heard the door slam and knew he went up there to cry. Danny never liked to shed tears in front of anyone else.

"Please get better," Erin sobbed. "I don't want you to be sick anymore either."

"I will, baby," Mary assured. "I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. I'll call right now and make an appointment, okay? And then he will give me some medicine and I'll be all better, right sweetheart? I promise. Now take your things into the kitchen, and I'll go get a snack ready for you." She paused and looked over to the couch where her youngest was also crying, "Come on, Joey. Let's get some cookies with Erin." He slid off the couch and ran over and hugged her tight before following his sister.

Mary sighed and walked over to the entryway to pull her datebook out of her purse. She wanted to make sure she didn't have anything scheduled for the following day before she called for an appointment. Today was March 15th, _the Ides of March,_ she thought ruefully as she picked up the phone. March 15th. She slammed it back down on the receiver. The 15th. She flipped back to February and her eyes grew wide when she realized something had been missed. "Oh, no! Please God in Heaven," she prayed as she leaned up against the wall, shaking. "Please, no. I can't go through that again."

###

Frank Reagan arrived home that night to find an eerily quiet household. He was carrying bags of takeout in his arms as he made his way through the back door and flipped on the light switch. He was startled to find his wife had been sitting at the kitchen table alone in the dark.

"Mary!" he said with alarm as he threw everything on the counter. "Honey, what's wrong? Where are the kids?" he asked with fear pounding in his heart.

"At your mother's," she answered quietly, and he could see that she was pale and had been crying for a long time. Her eyes were rimmed with red. "Frank, we need to talk."

"What?! What is it?" he asked, kneeling aside of her as he grabbed her hand, ice water was now running through his veins. Surely something terrible had happened. Someone had died or was sick, not his mother or father, but... who? God! Not Mary! Had she been to see the doctor?

"That night," she started hoarsely, looking down. "That night we were... Valentine's Day. When we were drinking in the den by the fire..." Frank's head was spinning; none of this was making any sense. What did that crazy night have to do with anything he wondered?

"That night, when we were... you know... and then we," she stopped and looked him in the eye. "Did you?"

"DID I WHAT?" Frank shouted in frustration. Something was obviously very wrong and he wanted to get to the bottom of it now. "Mary Margaret! What the hell are you trying to say? Did I..."

She blinked as another tear fell.

"Oh." He stopped. The world crashed down.

Frank leaned back, still holding her hand as he reached around and pulled a chair over to sit on. His knees had gone weak, and his heart fell to the very bottom of his soul. "I honestly don't remember," he whispered in a shaky breath. "Was it that time?"

"Frank," she sobbed. "I can't go through it again. I can't have another one ripped from my heart and soul this way. The last two times... I wanted to die."

He reached over and pulled her in close as she cried. "Mary, are you sure, you're...?" he asked gently. His wife had been deeply depressed after losing those two pregnancies. The doctors had been very negative about the chances of her ever being successfully again… something about trauma as a result of Joey's rough birth which caused her not to be strong enough to hold on to another. They had made it to fourteen weeks before disaster struck last time, so had decided to keep with their faith and use natural family planning to avoid any future ones for her sake. Mary felt strongly that it was their responsibility not to subject another baby to such a fate.

"It has to be," she whimpered in his arms. "We swore, Frank. We swore to each other and to God that we would be careful and never let this happen again."

Frank closed his eyes in sorrow and he shuddered as he felt the tears come. He had done this to his wife. She had trusted him, and he had failed her miserably in the most intimate way possible. All because he'd gotten drunk on that damn bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey by the fire after a disastrous night, and been carried away with things in the heat of the moment; now she would be paying the price again.

"Mary Margaret," he whispered as he picked her up and held her in his arms, "please, please forgive me. I'm so sorry, honey. Tomorrow, we will find the top specialist in the whole damn area and we will go see them. If there is any chance we can save this baby, we will. I promise you. Please Mary, hold onto your faith and be strong until then. The children, _all_ of the children, need you to do that for us now."

###

"Dad, why do we have to go to Grandma's house, _again?_ " Danny griped as his father brought the car to a stop in front of Henry and Betty's house. "You promised we could go to the St. Patrick's Day parade today. I don't want to be here!" he said angrily.

"Danny, I need you to be a good boy and mind us," Frank said. "Grandpa will try to come home from work and take you later if he can. I have to drive your mother to a special doctor today, son. It's very important and this was the only appointment we could make this week."

"Is she really sick bad?" Danny choked out. His mother had been in her room crying for two days now and no one had really told them why. A drugstore test kit had confirmed what she feared.

"No, son, she's just really scared right now. Your mother is going to be fine, but she needs to go see this doctor. Now be a big boy and take your sister and brother up to the house. Your Grandma is waiting for you. I have to go back and pick up your Mom."

"All right, Dad," Danny said in a small voice before reaching over to hug his father. "Please help Mommy be okay."

"I will, son. I promise," Frank said as he watched the children get out of the car and run up to the house before he backed out and turned around. Mary had an appointment at Columbia University's Center for Prenatal Pediatrics with Dr. Alan Wagner, one of the top specialists in his field. Frank had pulled every string in his book to get her in there at the earliest possible chance, and after arriving and going through several cursory exams, the couple was now nervously waiting in his office for the doctor to give them the results.

"Mr. and Mrs. Reagan, I'm pleased to meet you," he offered as he came into the room and took a seat behind his desk. "I reviewed your history and the findings of the testing today. You are indeed pregnant; Mrs. Reagan, and we estimate a due date of November 7th. You understand that you've been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix due to damage suffered in your last live birth, is that correct? And you've lost two at approximately 14 weeks since."

Frank and Mary both nodded, unable to speak.

"Well, so we are going to have to work a little harder together to prevent that this time," the doctor continued.

Frank was immediately relieved to hear the positive tone in the man's voice. He grabbed Mary's hand and squeezed. She was still entirely focused on the doctor in front of her.

"To prevent a premature birth in your case, I recommend a traditional cerclage, also known as a cervical stitch. It is a surgical procedure performed within the first 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Given your history we will schedule it at the earliest date. The procedure has a success rate of 80 to 85 percent in bringing babies to viability. You will need to be checked routinely throughout the pregnancy for complications such as infection or preterm labor."

"Eighty percent," Mary murmured.

"Yes," Dr. Wagner continued. "You will receive an epidural or anesthesia for pain control and after the procedure, you'll remain in the hospital for a few hours or overnight. You must refrain from physical activity for two to three days after the procedure. The cerclage will remain on the cervix until the 37th week of pregnancy, and will be removed before your water breaks or contractions begin. If you'd like, we will go ahead and schedule that for you in the second week of May."

"So there's a good chance of this working?" Frank asked.

"Yes, with this procedure, some additional medications and the use of scheduled bed rest," Dr. Wagner offered. "That will require Mrs. Reagan to lie down for a certain amount of time every day. I would encourage her to rest for one hour on your side for every four hours you're awake. The further along you get, the more rest will be required."

"I have three other children, though," Mary said sadly. "It will be hard to keep up with them if I am in bed that much." She couldn't imagine all the things she would miss if she had to spend so much of the day away from them.

"Resting doesn't have to be in bed, but it does have to be horizontal. You must take the stress off of your body as much as possible. I'm afraid it is the best tool for this situation."

"It's temporary, Mary," Frank said, trying to encourage her. "The children will understand. We'll talk to them. Danny is getting older now and can take some responsibility. My parents will help, and all of the kids will be in school full time this fall. We can make this work. I promise I will do everything I need to do for you." He turned to the doctor.

"Schedule it."

* * *

 _Next Danny, Erin and Joey come to terms with Mary's restrictions and the new baby on the way. Mary has some private conversations with Jameson. The big day arrives!_


	3. Prequel - Day of Reckoning

Prequel - Day of Reckoning

 _From "Home Sweet Home" Chapter 11 and "Resurrection" Chapter 1._

* * *

Mary Reagan lay on her side in the den of her beautiful home, restricted to a pulled out sofa bed and listening to the utter silence of the house around her. Her life had been reduced to this state for ninety-five percent of the day. No longer permitted to use the steps or do anything else for the matter, even her bathroom breaks had become measured. Frank had moved a bed in here so that she was only a couple of steps away from the downstairs bath and kitchen at all times. It was Saturday, October 13th, and she was just a few days short of the 37th week of her pregnancy when her procedure would be reversed and the baby would be allowed to come in his own due time. It had been a nerve wracking last seven months. She gave thanks to God again for getting her this far, and marked another day off of the calendar in her hand; another red 'x' meant they were one day closer to the end.

"We're just about there, Jameson," she said aloud, as she glanced up at that bottle on the shelf. With no one else to talk to for much of the time, Mary had taken to addressing it as a member of the family. She sometimes wondered if that meant that she had completely fallen off her rocker, but at this point after so much solitude she no longer cared. She put her hand on her belly as she felt the child kicking inside of her. He was restless today. "Just a few more days, baby. Do you think you can be a good man, and just stay put for a little while yet? Please, baby, we're so close now," she pleaded.

Glancing at her watch, Mary noted there were still several hours before her mother-in-law was due to arrive to check on her and fix her lunch. Frank had taken the kids to the Central Park zoo for the day to give them some much-needed parental attention, which had sadly been dwindling as of late. There had been so many doctors' appointments, and her husband had been busy with several important cases lately; saving up all his vacation time for after the baby was born. Danny, Erin and Joey had begun to feel that they were being pushed to the side, and it greatly pained Mary to see that happen. She just wasn't in any kind of position to do much about it at this point.

"Danny's so angry, Jameson," she spoke to her companion. "He's having a hard time in school right now. Sister Theresa is so strict with him this year; he's rebelling, and I haven't been able to go down there and talk to her. She won't listen to me over the phone." Just yesterday, Danny had come off the bus and shamefully showed his mother several detention slips that had to be signed by both parents. Frank had been beside himself when he came home from work and discovered his son's indiscretions, "A Reagan needs to have more discipline than that!" he had shouted. Danny had been reduced to tears, and made to stand there and take it in front of them all, which was catastrophic in his current mindset. "I hate this baby," he muttered loud enough for Mary to hear, as he ran up the steps to his room and locked the door when he was dismissed. Her heart was broken for him, but he wouldn't come out and talk to her for the rest of the evening, afraid to face his father again. She hoped that after a fun day out she would be able to speak to him and get him to open up about his feelings, so she insisted that Frank take the children away for the day. She knew it wasn't the baby that Danny hated, but rather the circumstances of their situation right now. He was only a little boy himself, and had been forced to take on more responsibility than he should have.

"Erin and Joey are handling it better, but they miss their mommy too," she continued; it was cathartic to speak the words out loud. The three of them... Mary, the baby and Jameson had been having some pretty lively conversations as of late. "They missed so much fun this summer with me having to stay home. We didn't even get to take our family vacation out to the cape."

A spasm in her back caused Mary to gasp and roll over to the other side. That had been happening all day. She glanced at the stack of the books sitting on the nightstand. She had given up trying to watch daytime TV after the first two weeks of scheduled bed rest, and had instead chosen to pass the time reading. By this point, she had worked her way through almost all of the titles in Frank's library, and was down to the slim pickings of procedural law enforcement selections, all of which she read out loud to share. "This baby's going to be a genius," she told Jameson as she reached for the next book. "I think he will be a Harvard law professor one day. We've already gone through enough textbooks so that he should be able to pass the Bar without a second thought."

The rest of Mary's day continued in much the same fashion. She was grateful for her mother-in-law's company at noon. Betty Reagan had been a godsend over the past few months, as she had taken over many of Mary's motherly duties such as walking the children home from the bus, as well as much of the cooking and cleaning. While she ruled with an iron Irish fist, she had a heart of gold, and they would have never survived without her help.

Soon Mary was anxiously watching the clock for her family's return. Frank said that they would be back after three, and it was now almost quarter to four. Baby Reagan had been running through a flurry of activity, which finally culminated in a case of the hiccups, and what Mary could only assume was a well-needed nap. "He's going to be trouble... this one is, Jameson. I can feel it," she said as she addressed her inanimate friend once more. "Please let him take after his brother, Joey. I don't think the world is ready for another Daniel Reagan just yet."

As if on cue, the back door opened and the beautiful sounds of her family filled the house. All of the children rushed over to her bed, chattering away about the sights they took in on their trip. Mary listened enthusiastically as Erin and Joey told her all about the polar bears and the penguins. Danny's favorite had been the lion playing with a tire swing. She was so grateful to see that they were all laughing and at ease, there had been far too little of that in the house lately, although at one point Danny looked like he wanted to say something to her, but changed his mind at the last minute. Mary let it go, and was not surprised to find her oldest come back around late in the evening when Frank had taken Erin and Joey upstairs for their baths. Danny was a very private person.

"Come here," she said as she patted the mattress next to her. "Come and sit next to me, and tell me more about your day." Judging by his long face, there was something else that he wanted to share.

"I want to say my sorry, Mommy," he said sadly as he crawled onto the bed next to her. "I want to say sorry to the baby. I didn't mean to say that I hated him yesterday. I was just mad because you always have to stay in here to help him be born. I miss you."

"I know that, sweetheart," she said as she pulled him close and kissed his forehead, "and the baby will know that too when he's born. Actions speak louder than words, Daniel Reagan. I know this little boy is going to feel the love of his big brother for the rest of his life." She took his hand and laid it on her belly. "Feel that strong kick?" she asked with a smile. "You and Joey are going to have so many things to teach him about riding bikes, football and baseball soon. You're already a good big brother to Erin and Joey, and I know you will be for this one too."

"I will be, Mommy. I promise to keep him safe too," Danny murmured sleepily. "What's his name going to be?"

"I'm not sure yet, baby," she said as put her head down and rubbed his back. "I want to see him first before I give him a name. Your Daddy wants to call him Theodore, Teddy for short, but I'm not really buying into that one. Makes me think of an old man with spectacles like the picture he has of Theodore Roosevelt in his office."

"That's not a good name for a baby then; he would look funny wearing glasses..." Danny trailed off as he fell asleep. Mary smiled as she continued to rub and cuddle with him. Frank came downstairs to check on her about a half hour later.

"Erin and Joey are in bed," he said. "All the fresh air today wore them out. Danny too, I take it," he said looking at his son. "I'll get him upstairs to his room. Do you need anything?"

"Leave him," Mary replied as she covered Danny up with a blanket. "I have what I need right here. There's plenty of room. You should sleep upstairs tonight and get some good rest. You've been working too many late nights this week."

Frank smiled at his wife and leaned in to give her and Danny kisses. "If you say so, dear," he said. "I'll leave a light on in the kitchen. Goodnight. I love you Mary Margaret."

"Love you, too," she replied as she settled down on her pillow and shifted position to soothe her aching muscles. "And goodnight to all of you, my baby boys and Jameson," she said with a smile.

###

Mary woke with a start in the early morning hours to the feeling of intense pressure and pain in her lower back. She gasped as she tried to breathe through it, and panic set in as she realized what this could mean. "Danny... Danny, honey, please wake up. Please!" she cried, shaking him.

He sat up groggily, unable to get his bearings in the darkened room. "What is it, Mommy?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Danny, something's wrong with the baby. Go get your father now! Tell him I need him!" She reached around and turned on the light next to her on the table, as he took one look at her and immediately scrambled up the steps yelling for Frank.

"DADDY! DADDY!" he called out loudly along the way. "Come quick! Mommy needs you!"

Mary heard Frank's feet hit the floor with a thud and he raced down the stairs to the den. "What is it?" he gasped.

"My back!" she cried as she crawled over to the side of the bed, "It hurts! Frank!" As he helped her to sit up on the side of the mattress there was a sudden gush of fluid down her legs. Mary stared in shock. It was happening again, she thought. For the love of God, it was happening again but the doctor hadn't taken the stitch out yet. The baby couldn't be born this way.

"Danny! Go to the phone and call 911!" Frank ordered. His son had followed him back down the stairs, and was cowering in shock by the doorway. "GO! Tell them we need a bus right away!" Danny paused for a second before sprinting into the kitchen to do as he was told. He explained to the operator that his mommy was having a baby too early, and it was bad, and his daddy was a policeman, but no, he couldn't come to the phone right now.

"They're coming!" he said as he rushed back out of breath. Frank was trying to get Mary to calm down and lay down on her left side. The doctor said it was better for her on her side. It was the only thing he could think to do.

"Danny, now go back and call Grandma and Grandpa. Tell them they need to come right away. Please, son. I need you to do that right now!" Frank ordered with tears in his eyes. His oldest complied immediately. He turned back to his wife.

"Mary Margaret, just breathe," he begged as he kneeled by the bed. "Nice, steady breaths like you did when the others came. You need to stay calm. We are going to get you to the hospital, and they are going to take care of you and the baby."

"It's too early," she sobbed as she struggled to prop herself up on her elbow and grab his shoulder. "He can't be born yet, Frank! Dr. Wagner said his lungs weren't quite ready when they did the ultrasound at the appointment the other day."

"Well, I don't think we have a choice anymore. Lots of babies are born a few weeks early and do fine. You were only a couple of days away from having them undo your procedure and they said he could come at any time after that. He'll be okay, Mary Margaret. He's a Reagan, and we're made of strong stock. You did a good job bringing him along this far." He continued to hold her hand and stroke her back for a few more minutes until there was a commotion outside.

Frank heard a pounding on the front door, and he rushed over to open it. His parents, Henry and Betty Reagan, hurried in from the brisk fall night that was now interrupted by sirens and lights. They were followed closely by the ambulance crew who set to work on Mary immediately.

"What is it, Francis?" Henry asked as he grabbed his son's arm before he ran back to his wife. "Is she okay?"

"The baby's coming. Her water broke," Frank replied grimly in a low voice, "but he can't be born this way. She needs to be at the hospital. Please, Pop, can you take care of the kids?"

"Yes, of course, son," Henry answered. "Your mother will stay here with them. I'm coming with you. You go in the ambulance with her and I'll follow in the car."

All of Frank's thoughts were interrupted by his wife's cries as she suffered through another contraction. He ran back into the den and grabbed her hand. "I'm here with you Mary," he told her. They were already wheeling her out and Frank followed alongside, ignoring the medic when he tried to keep him out of the back of the ambulance. "I'm a detective out of the 3-5," he growled. "I'm coming with her," he said as he pushed his way in.

The ride to the hospital was short and fast as the crew sensed the situation was dire. In just minutes Mary was rolled into the Emergency Room at St. Victor's and the on call OB was attending to her. She was immediately put on oxygen and a fetal monitor was placed on her stomach. The doctor looked up in concern as she read the screen and quickly pulled Frank out in the hall. "The baby is showing signs of distress," she said quietly. "The heart rate is quite low. Given your wife's procedure we are going to take her in for an emergency C-section. The nurse will show you where to wait."

###

Henry sat on one of the waiting room chairs, and watched as his son paced the hall outside of the surgical unit. They were mercifully alone at this time of night; it was just after three in the morning, but neither man was tired. Frank had performed the same loop more than a hundred times his father imagined: down the hall to the elevator door, back up to the opposite side, return to the right and pause to stare at the double doors for no more than twelve seconds before repeating the action. This time Henry stepped in the way and pulled his son over to the chairs.

"Francis, sit," he ordered.

"I can't, Pop," Frank said, afraid to break his pattern; afraid that if he did that, the news that he was dreading would come, that either his son or his wife, or God forbid _both_ were gone... it was too distressing. He began his walk again, but shortened it slightly and kept up the conversation. "It's been too long, Pop. Something's gone wrong. I heard them when we were bringing her up here. Mary's blood pressure was dropping... the baby's heart rate was low," he paused his pace for just a second. "I can't lose her, Pop, and she can't lose him. It will destroy her after all that she's been through." He thought back to his wife's words just before they took her away.

"Frank," she said while she grabbed his hand one last time as the drugs the doctor started were already taking effect. "Promise me you'll stay with him no matter what, in case he needs us... please, Frank I don't want him to be alone."

"I promise," Frank had vowed tearfully. "Now Mary Margaret, you're both going to be fine and you'll be holding your baby in your own arms in just a few minutes. We'll all be together; you'll see."

"He's not a Theodore," she mumbled in a slur just before she closed her eyes. "Don't call him that. His name is... Jameson..."

And with that she had been whisked away behind those doors he was now staring at.

Frank was just about to start another circuit when the moment he had been both dreading and praying for happened; the doctor walked through the doors and approached them. Henry stood straight and stepped to his son's side. Her expression was unreadable and Frank's heart ceased to beat.

"Mr. Reagan," she started. "Please, let's have a seat."

"Tell me," he whispered, dread walling up inside his chest.

"Let's sit," she insisted, as she put a hand on his shoulder and led him over to the chairs. He complied on autopilot.

"Your son has been taken to the NICU," her calm voice reported. "He was in distress and not responsive initially, but he has been ventilated, and the last report I received was that he was doing well and his vitals were stabilized. He's a bit small for his gestation, but otherwise seemed normal. The nurse will take you up to see him in a minute."

"Thank God," Henry injected, grabbing Frank's shoulder.

"And my wife?" he breathed.

"Mary began to hemorrhage after we took the baby. We tried to stop it conventionally, but I'm afraid we were forced to perform a hysterectomy in the end, which of course means she will no longer be able to bear children. She's being closed up now and will be moved to recovery in a few minutes."

"So she'll be fine?" it was more of a prayer than anything else, and after the events this time, having more children was out of the question anyway.

"I'm always guarded in situations like this, Mr. Reagan," the doctor said as she took his hand, "but yes, I think your wife will be fine, barring any post-op complications. I'll send the nurse out now to take you up to see your baby."

"Thank you," he had murmured in utter relief, and that was how Frank Reagan found himself dressed in a paper gown and standing in front of an isolette, staring in disbelief at his little newborn son; numerous tubes and wires affixed to his tiny body.

"He'll be coming off the ventilator in just a few minutes," the nurse told him gently. "He's breathing well on his own now. Everything else has stabilized. He's a strong little man," she smiled. "Does he have a name yet?"

"Jameson," Frank whispered as his eyes welled up. He smiled for the first time that night. "My wife has named him Jameson."

"That's a wonderful name," the nurse said as she pulled the computer cart over and began typing. "Does it have any significance?" she wondered. "I'm just going to get his information entered here since he was not in our system yet, and your wife came in a bit of a rush."

"Yes, well it... it has a lot to do with his being here," he smirked without revealing the whole sordid story of that night. That bottle would certainly keep a place of honor in their home from now on. "And he was supposed to be born at Columbia," Frank explained. "My wife's doctor was there."

"Not a problem," the chipper woman replied as she typed J-a-m-i-s-o-n. "Middle name?"

"Oh, um Henry," Frank replied without taking his eyes off of the baby who was now awake and had a strong grip on his pinky finger. "For my father."

"How nice," she replied. "So Jamison Henry Reagan, is this correct?" she asked as she tilted the screen towards him.

"Yes," Frank affirmed, too enthralled with his son's actions to do more than give a cursory glance.

"Wonderful," the nurse said, "We'll just get all of his paperwork processed then, and congratulations, Mr. Reagan. He looks like a fine little boy."

###

He was at Mary's bedside a few hours later as she began to stir. After a couple of minutes, she moaned and her hand immediately went to feel her belly as she opened her eyes.

"Frank?" she asked in a panicked voice.

"He's fine," he assured her softly as he took her hand and kissed it, so very thankful to have his wife alive and talking to him. "I just came back from the nursery. He's beautiful, Mary, and he's doing well. He's a little one but he's very, very strong. He looks just like Joseph did when he was born. They could be twins. The nurse said they could bring him down for you to see in a little while."

"He's here," Mary breathed as she relaxed back against the pillow, the joy apparent in her tired voice. "He's really here."

"Yes, he sure is sweetheart," Frank affirmed as he kissed her forehead, "and so are you Mary Margaret, thank God in Heaven," he said as he whispered in her ear. "Our family is all together now."

###

Danny Reagan nervously glanced around the hospital hallway in the early morning light as he held Erin's hand and followed his grandfather who was carrying Joey towards his mother's room. He had locked himself in his bedroom and cried himself to sleep after his parents and Henry had left in such a rush with the ambulance, terrified that the baby was dead and he would never see his mother again. Danny could not remember ever seeing his father crying and so distraught before, and it had rocked him to his core. He didn't believe his Grandmother when she knocked on the door after the phone rang and told him that the baby was born and his mother was going to be fine. He needed to see them first to believe it.

And suddenly, there they were.

He walked into the room and saw his father standing behind the bed with a big smile on his face and his mother, _his mommy,_ sitting up holding a small bundle that was moving and squeaking. There was a look of elation on her face and tears in everyone's eyes as they approached the bed. "Come here, babies," she said with great emotion as Frank and Henry carefully helped them all come close so that they could see. "Come meet your brother, Jamison."

"Jamison?" Danny questioned with surprise. At least it wasn't Theodore.

"Yes, baby," Mary smiled and looked at Frank; she had laughed when she saw the misspelling on the name tag affixed to the bassinet the nurses had wheeled down, but decided it would be bad luck to change it now. "Your father named him Jamison."

"Oh," Joey said as he sat on the bed and looked at a little mini me bundled up before him. "Can we just call him Jamie, like I'm Joey?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Sure, sweetheart," Mary agreed as the baby let out a louder cry. "I think he likes that idea."

"Jamie," Erin said as she looked over in wonder. "Can I touch him, Momma?"

"Yes, you sure can, honey. Daddy will help you all hold him for a little bit, and then he needs to go back up to the nursery for a while. Don't worry though, soon we will both be at home and you can show him all of your favorite things. I will be all better and we can go back to doing everything together as a family again."

"But Mommy," Danny interrupted as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Where will he sleep?"

Frank just rolled his eyes. Leave it to his oldest to point out the one flaw in the grand scheme of things during such a beautiful moment. He decided not to share their intention for that just yet as it would surely spoil the event. He smiled and looked down at his happy wife and children. Nothing else mattered at this point.

* * *

 _Next up, chaos erupts in the family as Danny and Erin share a room._


	4. Prequel - Operation Relocation

Prequel - Operation Relocation

 _From "Home Sweet Home" Chapter 2_

 _This is just a light-hearted, fun one._

* * *

Life in the Reagan household settled into a familiar rhythm a few weeks after Mary and baby Jamison arrived home. She was back on her feet after surgery, and he was proving to be a rather content infant, more prone to soft cooing and gurgling than out and out crying, although there were occasional displays of the infamous Reagan temper here and there.

For the first few months, Frank and Mary kept the baby with them in their room, sleeping in a bassinet by their bedside, as it made the task of caring for him throughout the night much easier. They would each take turns giving him a bottle in the comfortable old rocking chair by the window and cuddling with him as he went back to sleep. Soon though, the once tiny infant began to outgrow the bassinet and become more alert, and the couple knew they would be forced to rearrange the children's living arrangements. There were now four children and three other bedrooms. Frank found it disconcerting while trying to be amorous with his wife with another pair of eyes in the room. Something had to give.

"It's obvious," Frank said as they sat at the kitchen table one night just before Christmas after the older kids had gone to bed and Mary was feeding the baby on her lap. "Danny has the biggest room; he's going to have to share with someone. We'll just move the two older boys in together and be done with it. We'll make Joey's small room the nursery."

"Joey still naps a lot, and he's a light sleeper that wakes up with every little noise," Mary countered, "and Danny snores and is such a private person, he's not going to take having his little brother in his business all the time very well."

"Mary," Frank sighed. "We don't have a lot of options at this point. Do the math."

"I know," she said as she took the empty bottle away from baby Jamie and put him up on her shoulder for a burp. She smiled as she took in his soft, post bath lavender scent, savoring every minute of it. "We just didn't have much of a chance to think about all of this before you came, did we little man? You sort of snuck in here." She turned her attention back to her husband, "I guess buying a bigger house is out of the question?"

"Um, yeah. Unless someone throws my hat in for Chief of D's tomorrow, or you have a trust fund you've been keeping to yourself all these years." Frank sat back. This was a simple problem with a simple solution. He would give the order, and it would be followed, 'nuff said. He didn't know what all of Mary's trepidation was about; it would be taken care of.

And so, Operation Relocation began the following week as the holiday festivities waned and the children were still on winter break from school.

"Daniel," Frank said, as he entered the boy's room on the appointed morning before leaving for work. "We need to talk, son."

"What is it, Dad?" Danny asked a little nervously. He didn't think he had done anything wrong recently, but there was that tone in his father's voice that was enough to set him on edge.

"Jamie is getting bigger now, and needs to be in a crib. Your mother and I have decided to use Joey's room as the nursery. Today you will clear everything away from the wall over there and help your mother move your brother's things in here. The two of you will be sharing the space from now on. That's an order, son."

"But that's not fair!" Danny blurted out, orders be damned. "Just put Joey and Jamie together! I don't want the little twerp in my room!"

"DANIEL!" Frank's voice raised several decibels, before tempering. He had promised Mary to keep it civil. "It's been decided. I expect that everything will be moved by the time I get home tonight, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Danny gritted as he crossed his arms, and a devilish little plan started to form in the back of his mind as he looked up at his favorite fishing pole sitting in the corner by his bed. Oh, he'd move everything in as asked, he thought to himself, but he never promised that Joey wouldn't want to move it back out.

###

"Whatcha doing, Danny?" Joey asked as he came back from the bathroom in his jammies after brushing his teeth. Tonight was the first night they were sleeping together and he was excited. His older brother was using a little bottle to spray something around his own bed and on the covers. He made sure that Joey could see that it was empty when he finished.

"Oh, uh, nothing, kid. Don't you worry about it. I'm sure they won't bother you tonight. Better get in bed, I hear mom and dad coming up the steps to tuck you in," Danny said while hiding an evil smirk.

"Okey-dokey," Joey said agreeably as he climbed under his covers. Mary and Frank came in to say goodnight to both boys after having done the same for Erin, and his mother made sure to fuss over the younger one, telling him how proud she was that he had moved in here with Danny so that the baby had a place to stay. Frank was feeling quite self-righteous for having solved the family's housing situation in such an expeditious fashion as he kissed both boys and turned out the light. The couple retired to their bedroom for a little reading and well-deserved alone time while a tired baby Jamie was settled in the new crib in Joey's old room. He was sleeping through most of the night now.

"Danny," Joey started as he lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling and having a moment to think, "what won't bother me tonight?"

"Um, well now that you're living in here I guess I can tell you. See kid, this is an old house and sometimes a few, you know... things... crawl out of the vent over there by your bed during the night."

"THINGS?" Joey shuddered.

"Yeah, but don't worry. They won't bother you if you spray some of Mom's lavender water around your bed. We'll get some more for you tomorrow."

"But what about TONIGHT?"

"Oh, well try not to think about it, then," Danny grinned as Joey pulled the covers over his head and shivered. His little brother was such an easy mark, and there was a little fuzzy ball attached to the end of his fishing pole line that he could flip over there if he needed any more incentive. "Big kids aren't scared of them, and you can't tell mom or dad if you are because they won't think you're a big kid then, and they'll put you back in the baby's room."

Needless to say, it was only a few hours before Frank and Mary were woken out of a deep sleep by loud cries emanating from the boy's room.

"'Pider on Joey!... get off Joey's leg... DADDY, NO MORE 'PIDERS, PLEASE!"

The two bolted out of bed, only to find Joey still asleep thrashing in the middle of a nightmare, while Danny sat up in his bed with wide, innocent eyes. Down the hall, the baby started to wail and Erin came out of her bedroom rubbing her tired face.

"Oh good grief," Frank sighed as his master plan hit a major snag. The entire Reagan family was up at two o'clock in the morning. Mary peeled off to go pick up Jamie while her husband tried to comfort Joey. "Joseph, c'mon buddy. Wake up now, you're okay."

"Daddy!" Joey cried as he came to. "Daddy, I don't want to sleep in here anymore! I don't like spiders coming out! Please let me go back to the baby room!" Mary stood in the doorway cradling a wide-awake Jamie while Frank stole a suspicious glance at his oldest son who continued to feign his innocence... it had been a nightmare for sure, but Detective Reagan's radar was now up. He vowed that his oldest son would not get the best of him.

The night ended in defeat, however, or even with a negative gain if you will, with Joey in the bed between his parents and Jamie back in his bassinet.

###

After two more failed attempts, Frank was forced to scrap his plan to have his oldest boys share a room. Joey was so paranoid about spiders now he would barely go upstairs anymore. No one in the family had slept well in days. With an I-told-you-so look aimed squarely at her husband, Mary moved Joey's things back into his old room and slid Jamie's crib down the hall into their master bedroom.

Frank was more certain than ever that Danny was behind this whole mess, but he had no proof. Time to pull out the big guns. That Saturday, while Mary and the children went up to visit Henry and Betty in the afternoon, he moved Erin's bed and dresser into Danny's room, and rolled Jamie's crib into his sister's room. Erin was not afraid of spiders.

It didn't take long after the rest of the family returned home that evening from their visit for the switch to be discovered.

"Dad! You're not serious! I can't live with a GIRL!"

"MOMMY! I can't share a room with HIM!"

"FRANK!"

"ENOUGH!" Frank yelled as he held up his hand. "If Danny and Joey can't share because of _spiders_ ," he let that word drip out venomously as he glared at his oldest son, "then we still need to find a solution. The only other option is Erin. Joey and Jamie can share when the baby is older, but for now... SO BE IT," he said, leaving no room for arguments as he dismissed them.

Bedtime found the two oldest siblings squared off across the room, both sitting straight up on top of the covers with their arms crossed. Mary resigned herself to another sleepless night while Frank was prepared to forgo the pleasure just to teach his son a lesson. The back and forth bickering started almost from the second the light was turned out.

"Jerk face!"

"Idiot!"

"Whatcha go and scare Joey for? Great plan. Stupid head!"

"I'm NOT a stupid head!"

Mary lay back and covered her face with a pillow. "Frank," a muffled wail escaped. "Please tell me you have another idea. I can't live like this."

"Of course I do, dear," her husband affirmed as he moved over and pulled the pillow off his wife while he set about kissing her neck to soothe her. "I just couldn't let Danny think he got away with anything." His hands were slipping under her camisole. "Tomorrow, we move the baby in with Joey and I call an architect. I'd rather put in overtime and pay for an addition than listen to this for the next ten years. Jamie will get his own room, but for tonight," he smiled, "the door's locked and you and I will tune them out and keep busy doing something else."

* * *

 _Next a sneak peek related to "Resurrection" Chapter 11, as Jamie suffers from night terrors in his sleep. Last glimpse at Mary and the young Reagans before we jump ahead to some one-shots from "He lets me call him Frank now" and the rest of the stories._


	5. Prequel - Night Terrors

Prequel - Night Terrors

 _From "Resurrection" Chapters 5 and 11_

 _This last prequel gives you a sneak peek at the new story "Resurrection" which is,_ _hmm_ _, presently about halfway done I think. Would love to have it finished before Halloween, but it depends on how much time I can put in and how creative my muse stays. We'll start with a snippet from Chapter 11 of that story and then flashback to Jamie as a toddler to see how all of this started._

 _Enjoy! And thanks for the_ _favs, follows_ _and reviews! I really appreciate them!_

* * *

 _(begin snippet)_

While he stood in the hall contemplating his next move, Danny's cell phone buzzed with a new message.

 _Coffee in_ _caf_ _in 5?_ It was Eddie. That was kind of unexpected.

He flashed the message at Baez. She shrugged her shoulders, having learned from experience that Reagan family personal interactions could be complicated. "Go ahead," she said. "I've got some business down on the third floor anyway."

Danny replied back, and soon found himself seated at a small corner table with his brother's wife, feeling a little uneasy. "What's going on Eddie?"

"Can't a sister-in-law just invite her brother-in-law for a good old cup of joe when he's in the neighborhood? Or in my case, a lousy cup of decaf?" Danny just waited her out with a thin, tight smile before she continued. "I um, well I was wondering if you could help me with something," she said nervously, glancing around the room while twirling the stirrer around her cup.

"Anything, Eddie, you know that. We're family."

"I need to know about Jamie and his nightmares," she admitted point blank, as she sat forward and put her hands on the table. She didn't want her husband to spot her talking to his brother, and she was taking a risk doing this at 1PP so it needed to be quick. "I need to know how to help him."

"Oh," Danny said as he sat back. "I guess that explains the knock on his noggin then," he continued as he put his hand up over his mouth and rubbed his stubbled cheek. "He's stressing over something I take it. Not the missing cat?" he asked, fully aware that his nemesis, Bear, was still at large, but not knowing the details of the gruesome find on the porch.

"No," she said. "It started before that. Ever since he went to Washington with your father and got sick the first night."

"Eddie, you've got to understand, this has been part of him since... well ever since the beginning. He had screaming night terrors even when he was a baby. Used to scare the bejesus out of the family because we couldn't wake him up... you could only put him somewhere safe and let them run their course. The doctor told mom that it was just something that happens, that one part of his brain didn't always fall asleep at the same time as the rest, and he would eventually grow out of it, but that would make him prone to other sleep disorders when he was older. He's had them all pretty much; insomnia at stressful times in high school and college; sleepwalking when mom passed, you can ask Spencer about that one; nightmares for months after Joe... Sydney tried to deal with those in the beginning, but she gave up and he moved back home for a few months before he started the academy. Eventually it passes, and he's fine when they go away."

"But he's changed, Danny," Eddie countered. "It's not so much nightmares as panic attacks that carry over into other things. He's hyper-reactive about protecting me and Kaylin right now, and I'm afraid for him," she admitted.

"Well, he's always been an over-responsible tight ass. That's another part of who he is, and now he has a family of his own to protect. Do you know what's triggering it this time?" he asked, thinking back to the oddly familiar fearful glimpse he'd seen of Jamie's face the day before. He had been scanning the street below at the time, but looking for what?

 _(end snippet)_

* * *

 _REAGAN FAMILY HOME - Late Spring 1986_

Frank Reagan sat back in the chair behind the desk in his home office and relished the silence that was currently enveloping the house. After months of banging, sawing, dust and disruptions, the renovations to the home were complete and the addition now afforded a brand new upstairs bedroom for their youngest son, as well as a glorious sunroom so that the expanded family had more room to spread out downstairs. Mary had taken the two youngest boys shopping for a few last-minute items as they prepared to move seven-month-old Jamie and his things into his own space.

Life was good.

Frank smiled as he thought about Joey's insistence that he be included in the preparations for his little brother's room. Joseph had always been a kind, caring child, but he had really taken on the protective big brother role in earnest ever since Jamie was born and the two had been forced to share a room when all other attempts to shuffle four children into three bedrooms had failed. Mary and Frank could not have asked for a more attentive little babysitter. Even though Jamie was still little, it was obvious there was a strong bond growing between the two younger boys. The same could not be said for Danny and Erin, who were currently sequestered from each other up in their own rooms doing homework. Frank gave thanks again for the fleeting peace and quiet before the silence was disturbed as Mary arrived home and he could hear Joey busily chattering away.

"Look Dad!" he cried as he ran into the office waving a few bags. "We got lots of stuff for Jamie's room! He has pictures of all kinds of boats and fishes with letters and numbers on them to hang up on his walls. It's gonna look so cool! Momma says we can take him out fishing with us on the pier when it gets warmer, too! I want to show him how to catch the biggest one!"

"I'm sure he'll love that, Joey," Frank affirmed as he followed his son back into the kitchen and gave Mary a quick kiss. "I take it the shopping trip was a success, then."

"Oh, yes," she said laughing. "We ended up with all of Jamie's so-called favorite things, which just happen to be all of Joey's favorite things. I'll be surprised if he doesn't wind up moving himself into the new room along with the baby. I'm not sure who's going to have a harder time adjusting to being alone."

"Well, I guess we'll find out tonight, won't we?" Frank mused as they started supper and called Danny and Erin to come down to eat. All the places at Mary's kitchen table were now filled.

###

"Is Jamie really going to be okay alone?" Joey asked worriedly as he followed his mother around later that evening while she was taking care of some final preparations and making the crib up with newly washed sheets to match the room's light blue walls.

"Of course, Joey," she answered. "And you'll be able to sleep better all night because you won't hear him moving around and crying as much."

"But who will listen for him then?" he asked, not sounding very convinced.

"I will," Mary said as she pointed to the baby monitor on the nearby shelf. "Just like before. I can hear him if he needs anything, and Jamie almost always sleeps through the night now, honey. You know that."

"Sometimes he likes it if I talk to him, though," Joey replied. "When he's afraid of stuff."

Mary smiled as she thought back to all the little nightly conversations she'd heard through that monitor in the last few months. They were mostly one-way of course, as Jamie was just starting to form a few words. She knew Joey was already going into withdrawal and would be missing his little brother's presence terribly. "I tell you what, sweetheart," she said, "how about we put the extra monitor speaker we usually keep downstairs up in your room tonight. That way you'll be able to hear Jamie too, and you'll know if he needs anything."

"Okay!" he said brightly as he ran downstairs to retrieve the item.

"Problem solved," Mary said to herself as she finished up and readied herself to go downstairs and give Jamie his last feeding of cereal and milk before tucking him into his brand new room for the first time. Unfortunately, they would all soon realize that no one would need a monitor to hear the baby cry that night.

###

"NOOOOOO!" the first terrifying wail was heard just after midnight and Mary and Frank's feet had hit the ground running towards the baby's room before they even realized what they were doing. She made it to the doorway first and frantically flipped on the light switch while the doors to all the other children's rooms burst open.

"Dad! What's happening?" Danny was yelling. Joey and Erin were standing there in shock.

Frank put his hand up and ignored them as he rushed to follow his wife into Jamie's room. They found him sitting bolt upright in the crib, screaming, moaning and thrashing about with his eyes wide open. Mary tried to pick him up, but it only caused him to fight back harder and she was forced to put him back down. There was no sense that he even recognized his mother was there.

"Frank! What's wrong with him?" she cried as she tried in vain to keep him from bumping into the wooden railings.

"I don't know, Mary!" he answered grimly as fear took over his heart. The sounds emanating from his child were like nothing he had ever heard before. "God, I think he's maybe having a seizure!"

"Call the doctor!" Mary ordered in a panic as her hands continued to try to buffer the little boy from hurting himself. Frank dashed downstairs to do as she asked. Jamie's erratic movements were beginning to slow and his body suddenly stilled as he relaxed and his eyes fell shut. She immediately picked him up and cradled him in her arms, sitting down in the rocker after grabbing a blanket to cover him with. It was only then that she became aware of the other children standing with shocked expressions in the doorway, tear tracks evident on all of their faces.

"It's okay now, babies," she breathed for the first time in minutes as she tried to convince them as well as herself. "It's over now."

"What's wrong with him?" Joey asked quietly with frightened, guilt-ridden eyes. He knew he should have been there to keep the scary stuff away from his little brother. "I promised him I would keep him safe."

"I don't know, Joey," Mary answered as she cuddled Jamie close, relieved to find him tranquil once more and praying fervently that there was nothing seriously wrong with her youngest son. All the children came into the room to be near and sit with her, too frightened by the events to even think about going back to their own beds.

"The doctor said it sounds like a night terror," Frank revealed a few minutes later in a voice that was calm once more while he made his way back into the room, having just completed an urgent phone call to their pediatrician. "He said it's nothing to worry about... that Jamie was just caught in some sort of twilight zone between being asleep and being awake. It's not even a nightmare. He won't remember it ever happened. Dr. Hunt said to call the office tomorrow and he will explain it to you more thoroughly. It may happen again for a while, but he'll eventually grow out of it."

"Really?" Mary asked as she looked up at Frank's face, still tearful. She'd already run through every possible terrible worst-case scenario in her head. Twice.

"Really," he assured as he reached down to embrace her and lay his hand upon his now peacefully sleeping son. "He said it's not uncommon at all, and not to try to wake him up during it. We just need to put him somewhere safe and let it run its course."

"Can we stay with him tonight, Momma?" Joey's voice whispered. "I don't want him to be alone anymore."

"Yes baby, we can," Mary affirmed. "Go get some pillows and a few blankets from your room and you and I will sleep in here and watch over him tonight while everyone else goes back to their own beds. We'll always make sure he stays safe together. I promise."

* * *

 _That's the end of the prequel. Next we jump ahead to a scene from "He lets me call him Frank now" where Eddie and Danny have a moment together to process what was happening to Jamie at the hospital._


	6. Saturday Night Drinking Buddies

Saturday Night Drinking Buddies

 _From "He lets me call him Frank now," Chapter 13_

 _I feel like I kind of brushed through some of the family interactions during the week that Jamie was unconscious in the hospital during this story, so I was curious to see what might have happened if Eddie and Danny had run into each other one night away from the other family members._

* * *

Eddie's hands were shaking as she slid the key into the lock of her apartment door and turned the knob. It was late Saturday night, and she hadn't been back home since before shift the previous morning. She let the door close behind her without bothering to set the deadlocks. The last day and a half had been almost more than she could take. Jamie was laying there in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Victor's fighting for his life, hooked up to more machines, tubes and wires than she would have thought imaginable, and the doctors had curtailed their meager ten minutes per hour visitation schedule for the rest of the night because his blood pressure and heart rhythm had become too unstable. Danny had been dragged away from the room by two of the nurses when the monitor alarms had gone off. Frank and Henry remained in the waiting room in case the unthinkable happened while everyone else had been sent home once more to rest with promises that they would call if there was any news. Eddie prayed that her phone would stay silent... the way things looked right now her world would come crashing down if it rang anytime soon.

She sighed as she set her purse down on the counter and wandered into the kitchen, her mind blank. Eddie had spent the previous night at the Reagan's house, crying herself to sleep on the bed in Jamie's old room, clutching one of his Harvard hoodies. Today though, she thought it would be best if she came here to get some of her personal items and pack a few changes of clothes in case she had to stay away for any longer. Dr. Holden had told them that Jamie could be on life support for up to ten days unless... well, she couldn't even think about that right now. She's already notified Renzulli that she wouldn't be in to work anytime soon. He was heartbroken about the state his old boot was in and told her not to worry about it, she was on leave until further notice.

Eddie went into the bedroom and put her phone down in easy reach next to the bathroom sink, then grabbed a bag and placed a few sweaters and pairs of jeans in it before stripping down, letting her clothing just drop to the floor. She climbed in the shower, nearly scalding herself with water as hot as she could bear it. She sat on the corner stool and let the stream run over her and take the tears she had been holding in with it. She banged her head back up against the tile. Why? Why had they waited so long to tell each other how they felt? Now it might be too late. She had known all along that she loved Jamie, from the very moment they met, yet she had hidden it away for the last two years because she thought she was too damaged to deserve someone like that.

When she finally emerged, the entire bathroom was dripping with steam. Eddie threw a few toiletries in a case and put them in her bag, then pulled on a light sweatshirt and put her towel dried hair up in a messy ponytail. Gathering up her items, she paused to pull a single key out of the basket on the hallway table, tracing the Harvard logo on the chain with a small smile. Jamie had given her a key to his apartment many months before when he had been spent a week on vacation at the beach with his entire family. With no one else left in town, she had volunteered to water his plants and pick up the mail, and then conveniently forgot to return the key. It had been somehow comforting to know it was always sitting in there, and by all accounts he had never asked for it back. It was one of those crazy undefined things in their relationship. Tonight she needed more than the key though. She needed to be as close as possible to him, even if meant being in his space rather than next to him at the hospital. This apartment felt completely void of what she was longing for right now.

A short drive later, and Eddie found herself in the elevator riding up to the fifth floor of his building. She checked her phone for the twentieth time in the past hour. Still no updates from Frank, but she consoled herself with the thought that right now no news was good news.

She paused at the door to his apartment, wondering if this was really a good idea or not. Jamie was a very reserved person, would he feel like she had invaded his privacy if he found out about this? Right now she was willing to take the chance... if he found out and was angry it just meant that he was well enough to do that, and at this moment, Eddie would welcome that scenario in a heartbeat.

She turned the key in the lock, letting herself into the darkened apartment. There was a night light glowing in the kitchen, but other than that the place was dark and quiet. She let the door close behind her and was reaching for the wall switch when a familiar deep, raspy voice scared her nearly witless.

"What are you doing here?"

She gasped and sank back against the door, catching herself reaching for her off duty piece, pausing to realize as her senses caught up with things, that not only wasn't it there, it wasn't needed. She sighed and again reached for the light.

"Jesus, Danny, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Why are you here?" he repeated gruffly from his seat in the kitchen. She could tell from the collection of empty bottles near him on the table that he had come here to drink, and heavily from the looks of it.

"I... I wanted to be closer to the hospital," she hedged. It was truthful, Jamie's place was much closer than her own, but that's not really what she wanted to be near. "I couldn't sleep at my place," she admitted.

"Me too," he seemed to accept her reasoning, and she did not press him about his own. It was no secret that Danny was having a very difficult time dealing with Jamie's illness and witnessing what he did earlier that evening had probably been enough to push him over the edge. Eddie was surprised that Linda had left him out of her sight.

"You haven't heard anything yet?" she questioned, not expecting a different answer, really just searching for something to fill the awkward void between them.

"No, not yet," he shook his head with glassy eyes and looked away. He hadn't come here to drink so much as to grieve for the only brother he had left in this world, the one that looked like he would soon be joining the other in that row of headstones along with his mother and grandmother. The fates had been cruel to the Reagan family in recent years. The fact that Jamie had recently stocked up on beer and a bottle of single malt was just a fortunate coincidence.

Eddie put her things down and pulled up a chair at the small breakfast bar. She wasn't entirely comfortable getting any closer than that to the older Reagan brother. She knew from their interactions at work that he could be a real hard ass, and right now she wasn't able to read how he felt about her sudden introduction to the family, that was until he spoke again.

"I'm glad, you know... that you were there with him when he... Dad said you were able to keep him relaxed so that he wasn't scared." Eddie's lip was quivering as she looked down and Danny continued, "Thank you for that."

"He's been so sad lately," she said quietly as she traced the swirls in the countertop with her finger. "I think that had a lot to do with me too," she admitted. "We were stuck in this game of pushing each other away every time we started to get close so we could stay partners on the job. It took something like this for us to say... it shouldn't have taken something like this for us to say that... Now it might be too late," she whispered.

"But I thought he was ready to put that behind him?" Danny asked puzzledly. "Why else was he ready to sit for the Sergeant's exam? If he was promoted he would have been transferred out of the 12th."

"He was?" Eddie's eyes snapped up. "He never told me!" So Jamie had been ready to change things up.

"Yeah, well I found out about it and inserted my big foot directly into my big mouth. That's why we were fighting yesterday, before... you know before he got sick."

"Oh," she replied softly. "I knew there was something up between the two of you but he never told me why." She paused before adding, "Danny you have to know that he had totally forgiven you before... before he went to sleep. Your Dad told him you were sorry for something and he said he already knew and everything was okay, he wasn't mad at you anymore. You shouldn't worry about that."

"I need to tell him myself," he whispered as he finished the last drops of liquor in his glass. "I've got to stop making him second guess himself all the time. That's probably why things dragged on so long between the two of you. He's been completely in love with you since... forever. We all could see that. The kid's just got so much negative baggage around him that he was afraid to admit it and lose you like everyone else. You really brought him back to life after Vinny died. If it hadn't been for you... we might have said goodbye to him a long time ago."

"We're not going to lose him, we can't!" Eddie cried as she checked her phone again and put her head down. She was completely exhausted now.

"I should go now," Danny said as he stood up. "I'll call a cab to take me back to Dad's house."

"No, please stay," Eddie said as she picked her head back up. "Please, I don't want to be alone anymore. Stay and tell me some funny stories about Jamie when he was younger. Renzulli already told me the one about when he was his TO and he made him chase down the guy in the hotdog suit when he was a rookie. I would have loved to see the look on his face on that one. There has to be a hundred others."

"There are," Danny admitted as he walked over and pulled two more beers out of the fridge then handed one to Eddie. "But you'll need this. You won't believe some of the things that kid has gotten himself into. One time when he was about thirteen, Joe and I..."

Eddie smiled as she took a sip of the beer and listened to Danny ramble on about various predicaments that Jamie had gotten into over the years. This was exactly what she needed right now, to be part of a family again since hers had basically fallen apart at the seams when her father had been arrested. Tonight, Jamie lived on in the stories Danny told, and tomorrow she prayed there would be good news from the hospital. Whatever happened, she knew she would always want to be close to the Reagans and the special bond she had now found with them.

* * *

 _Next I think it will be one more from "He lets me call him Frank now" when Eddie goes back to work and has her first day on the job with a new partner. Then off to a bunch of fun stuff from "Follow Your Heart"._


End file.
